Growing
by h0pelessKanteen
Summary: Watch them grow. From childhood to their teenage years. To college and beyond. MoJo Kind of AU, Kind of not.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hi everyone. =] it's been a while. this chapter is fairly short and more of a prologue/introduction. I don't how this came to me but it did, and i liked it so here's the beginning. I hope you enjoy it. More to come! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own. so sad.  
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**_**Growing**_

_Age 5_

"Mommy…..I don't wanna go to school! I DON'T WANT TO! I DON'T!!".

The small child wrestled out her mother's grasp and ran back under the covers of her bed.

"Honey, it's your very first day of school! You should be excited! Don't you want to make friends and learn to read?"

"NO! I want to stay home!"

"Maureen you will get out of bed now and you will be going to school. Don't make me count," her mother threatened. She'd been trying to get her daughter out of bed for the past 15 minutes. Seeing that her daughter wasn't moving, she began to count.

"ONE….TWO…"

Maureen pushed her covers to the side and got up. She huffed, and stomped towards her mother.

"Thank you." Her mother said. She pulled her along to the bathroom, finally getting her daughter ready for school.

XxxxX

"Momma!!! Wake up wake up!" whispered the small curly haired girl. She had crept into her parent's room after waking up herself.

Her mother stirred before she opened one eye and saw her daughter. Her eye flicked to the clock on her nightstand. It was 5:00am.

"Joey, sweetie, its too early."

"But momma, I have to get readyyyyy." Joanne grabbed her mother's arm, pulling at it with all her might but her mother wasn't budging, "Come on momma!!"

"Alright alright…" she said groggily.

The small child smiled widely, finally succeeding in waking her mother. "We can make breakfast too right momma? Let's make breakfast!"

"Mmm hmmm". She let her daughter drag her along with her hand to the kitchen, stifling a yawn.

She smiled as she watched her daughter run towards the kitchen seeing how excited she was to go to school. Since birth, both her parents noticed that she was very curious and was always learning new things from watching and listening. She picked things up very quickly and when tested during preschool, her intelligence was off the charts for the average 4 year old. Today was an exciting day for Joanne, she'd been telling everyone who would listen that she was going to start going to a real school now.

"Joey, what do you want to eat?" Her mother asked.

"I dunno momma! You pick!! You pick!" Joanne was practically bouncing off the walls, making Mrs. Jefferson wonder how anyone can be so perky at 5:00am in the morning.

XxxxX

Little Maureen watched as all the children ran around the yard, playing before class started. Her mother walked her into the school and left her standing in line in front of her assigned class room, leaving soon after to go to work.

She eyed the little brown skinned girl walking hand in hand with her mother. She felt a small pang of hurt, jealous that her mother wasn't there to wait with her like this mother and daughter. The pair was coming towards her. They stood behind Maureen waiting until the bell rung, making Maureen feel extremely self-conscious.

Mrs. Jefferson looked down at her daughter, "Remember to behave okay? I'll be here to pick you up at 2:00. Have a good day honey." She leaned down to kiss Joanne's cheek, stroking her short curly hair.

"Bye momma!" Joanne said, watching her mother walk towards the exit of the school.

Joanne finally noticed the other girl standing in front of her. She had really curly light brown hair and Joanne noticed that she was a little shorter that her, making Joanne extremely proud to be taller than someone. She tapped the smaller girl's shoulder, watching her turn around.

"Hi."

"Hi"

"I'm Joanne. What's your name?"

"Maureen," she said, not really wanting to talk to this girl. She was mad that the girl had her mother's attention but Maureen never got any of her own.

"Wanna be friends?" Joanne asked, smiling.

Maureen shook her head angrily.

Joanne's smile faltered. Before she could say anything more, their teacher began to walk them inside the classroom, placing them in their assigned seats. Joanne's feelings were hurt after being rejected by Maureen. She didn't understand why someone wouldn't want to be her friend. She sat at her seat, shrugging it off. She decided she wouldn't speak to Maureen for as long as they knew each other.

Their first year in school together was nothing but normal. They didn't play together, but each found their own friends. Maureen was very aggressive, always competing against the boys and hitting them. There'd been several times where their teacher took away recess from Maureen for causing so much trouble.

Joanne on the other hand was a diligent student. She was able to pick up reading fairly quickly and always colored within the lines. She was the first the raise her hand to pronounce a word and if she couldn't she kept trying.

After their little incident at the beginning of the school year, they never spoke a word to the other, nor did they share with one another.

Little did both girls know, this was only the beginning of their story, together and apart.

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AN: i hope that was okay. please review. i'm glad to be writing again after a while. thanks for reading! =]


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Age 10 – 5th Grade

"Joanne do you have piano today?"

The mocha skinned girl looked up at her friend sitting across from her. It was lunch time and Joanne had been pushing around her food in front of her for the past ten minutes. Meatloaf surprise again today. Every Friday was a "surprise" lunch. For the past three Fridays it's been meatloaf.

Abigail looked expectantly at Joanne, waiting for an answer. She'd been friends with Joanne since the first grade and both their mothers were co-chairs of the PTA.

"Yea I do. Why?"

"Oh, I wanted to see if you wanted to come over today," pushing her wire-framed glasses up her nose. "We can do homework and then maybe watch Jeopardy or something."

Just then a large scuffle was heard and almost half the cafeteria jumped out of their seats and ran out the door. Joanne could hear shouting from the outside by the playground. She and Abigail looked around, watching as everyone rushed out, following suit.

Outside, a large circle had formed around the tetherball pole. Joanne stood on her tip-toes craning her neck to see what was happening inside. She saw the head of a small brunette, and at closer look noticed it was Maureen Johnson.

Maureen stood over a 7th grade boy, one hand on her hip and one hand holding the ball. The boy was holding his face in his hands, his lip bleeding.

"What's going on here!?"

All the students started to disperse as one of the school's yard duty rushed into the commotion. She took in the situation and immediately grabbed Maureen's arm.

"You're going to the principal's office NOW," she said, writing Maureen up.

"He wasn't going to let me play! He said girls shouldn't be playing tetherball!!" Maureen shouted as the older woman led her to the office.

XxxxX

There was still murmuring of what happened during lunch in classes, especially in Joanne's class. Joanne and Maureen had been placed in the same classroom every year since they both started going to school together. Joanne didn't think she was smart, but she somehow always ended up in the classes with the best students.

They were part of different crowds, Joanne, with her frizzy hair and bookworm personality found her friends among the same people, with Abigail and her glasses and braces. Maureen on the other hand, was a tomboy and troublemaker and hung out with the bad kids.

"So you can't come over today?" Her friend asked, "Susan said she would come if you did."

"I don't know yet, I have piano practice and I need to do homework. I don't know. I'll call you and see if my mom will let me."

When the bell rung, they both walked towards the school's gates, happy the school day was finally over. As they walked past the school's office, Maureen walked out with her mother in tow. Joanne stared at the mother daughter pair, noticing how different they were from each other. Maureen's coiled brown hair was very different from her mother's short blonde hair. Her mother wore a pastel colored pant suit neatly ironed while Maureen's baggy clothing just hung sadly on her body.

Maureen caught Joanne staring and glared at her. "Looking at something Jefferson?"

Joanne immediately looked away. She wondered why they never spoke. They had nothing against each other except for the fact that Maureen had declared she did not want to be friends with her in kindergarten. After that, it seemed both did not care enough to ever speak. Joanne wouldn't talk to her though, in honesty she was actually afraid of the girl. Her friends were bullies and always made fun of Joanne and her friends, but Maureen had never actually done any of the bullying.

Joanne ignored the question and quickly rushed past Maureen with Abigail. They both chuckled nervously when they were a safe distance away. Joanne saw her mother waving her over. Joanne said goodbye to Abby and walked over.

"Hi mommy," she said. They walked together to her car.

"How was your day honey? What'd you do in school today?"

"It was okay. We didn't do anything."

"Oh. Okay. Well, I was in the office today chatting with Katie. I overheard them talking about Maureen Johnson. I'm so glad my little girl isn't friends with someone like her."

"Yes mom."

"You know why she's like that? It's because she doesn't get enough attention at home and she has to act out in school. Poor girl."

Joanne just nodded. She knew this was her mother's way of telling her not to be like Maureen.

"Anyway, Mrs. McCormick is going to be a little late today. So you can finish your homework before you start practice kay?"

XxxxX

"Why do you have to do this Maureen? Why do you always have to cause trouble?"

Her mother was yelling at her in the car, frustrated with her younger daughter. "Melissa was never like this! I don't know where you're getting this from!"

Maureen just rolled her eyes. She sat staring out the passenger side window. She always hated being compared to her older sister. It was always Melissa this, Melissa that. Her sister had just started high school and was already president of her class and ranked in the top 3% of the school. She hated her sister for being such a good daughter.

"Your father and I work so that you and your sister can have all the things you want. But this is how you repay us, by getting into trouble all the time and making us look like bad parents. How many times have you been called to the principal's office Maureen?! I think I've lost count!"

Maureen continued to ignore her mother. It was the same thing she said every time.

Mrs. Johnson pulled into their driveway. Maureen, finding the chance, opened the door and rushed out of the car. She ran up to her room and slammed it shut, locking the door. She didn't care. She was suspended for three days but it didn't matter. It was normal for her.

XxxxX

It had been three days since Maureen's suspension. She was back at school. It was lunch time again. All the students were huddled in the cafeteria, staying inside because it was pouring outside.

Joanne noticed Maureen sitting with her friends. For some reason, Joanne was intrigued by the girl. She took small glances towards Maureen's side of the cafeteria several times, making eye contact but quickly looking away.

Maureen was getting annoyed at the constant looks from the other girl. Ever since they were little, she always thought Joanne Jefferson was weird. Her hair, her skinny body, the entire combination made Joanne so odd.

"What're you looking at Mo'" Her friend asked. Maureen turned back to her friend.

"Erica…I think I just found a target," she grinned devilishly.

Her friend's eyes bugged out. "Oohh finally… which one?"

"Jefferson."

Her friend laughed loudly. "Oh…she'll be easy!!"

"Come on, lets go," Maureen said, gathering her things. Her group made their way to the trash cans, and in doing so, walked past Joanne's table.

Joanne noticed Maureen getting up from her table. She quickly looked back to her food, picking up her sandwich and shoving it into her mouth.

Maureen moved closer to Joanne's table as her group walked past them, discreetly sliding her hand across it and pushing Joanne's tray off.

Joanne's food and tray clattered on the floor. Her milk splashing everywhere while her apple rolled under the table.

"Oh….shoot, sorry Jefferson. Didn't see that." Maureen said sarcastically. She continued walking on, laughing loudly with her friends.

Joanne stared at the mess on the floor wondering what just happened. She was struck by how unexpected that was. She kneeled on the floor, picking up her food off the ground. Abby lent down to help her.

"I think you need to be careful now." Abby whispered to her, "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything!" Joanne said, frowning. She felt like she wanted to cry. She'd been picked on before, but not to this extent.

They threw away the wasted food, and Joanne sat back down. She wondered why this was happening. "Do you think I should tell on her?"

"No!! She'll only do it more!"

Joanne sat there confused, wondering why she was being picked on and what she had done to cause it. She sat in silence until the bell rung. She and Abby walked to class and for the rest of the day, Joanne didn't think about anything else. She was afraid of what was going to happen next if Maureen continued.

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**AN: Sorry that took such a long time. Midterms, work, and schooool. Nasty stuff. This story's probably going to go a little slow, I have to work my way into MoJo's relationship as friends and then as lovers. =] I hope this chapter helped in developing the start of their relationship kinda. Please review!! Reviews are wonderful! Thanks for reading. Oh, and i wanted to know what you guys think about the time frame for this story? Should it be in the present like in the new millenia, or should it be back in the 90s (though that'd be harder for me cuz...i was like...7 in the 90's and don't remember alot of pop culture events haha) Anyway, tell me what you guys think!! Peace.  
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